Monday, January 28, 2008

You can fight it all you want but people do judge a book by its cover. How is your cover doing? Are you putting your best foot forward or do you need a little freshening? This may be a tough question to answer but one you need to answer about yourself.

Here’s a quick way to get some insight into your public persona. Next time you go to the store, a restaurant, the dry cleaner, a bus stop or any public business or service ask this question: “Would you do me a big favor? If you had to guess what I do for a living, what you would guess? And please be honest, I’m just very curious.” Their answers will give you a general idea of how outsiders view your outer shell.

Below are basic questions you can ask yourself to keep your appearance in check:

Do you dress a step above what people would normally wear in your industry?

Are your clothes pressed and clean or wrinkled?

Are your shoes clean?

Is your hair neat and stylish?

If you smoke, do your breath and clothes smell like smoke?

Are your fingernails cut and clean?

Is your nose and ear hair clipped?

Eyebrows trimmed?

Small business owners tend to think these ideas are frivolous because “they’re not trying to win a beauty contest” so does it really matter to potential customers? What if it does? Are you losing business because they can’t get past your “look?” Eliminate that as a potential reason for someone not doing business with you, and nip any appearance issues in the bud. We all get an “instant” impression of people, so focus on influencing people positively by putting your best foot (or shoe in this case) forward.

Giving a solid amount of effort towards your appearance ensures people can focus on your great services/products, all the while eliminating the potential of losing business for “other reasons.” Make it happen!